Bury me, bury me
by la bella muerte
Summary: Spoilers for chapter 404 - "The only reminder was the blood staining the ground where they had once stood." - Gin and Ichigo are in a heated battle, but it seems Gin has the upper-hand until his childhood friend comes to confront him as well.


Ichigo, gritting his teeth, growled as he relocated his shoulder. Gin only smirked at him with that same, annoying as hell face. "Kurosaki," he called in a sing-song voice, "you're not giving up, right?"

"Hell no."

"It sure does look like it. The hard determination you usually wear on your face is gone, instead, in its place, is the face of hopelessness."

He laughed once - spiteful and sarcastic. "You're not too bright, are you?"

His eyebrows shot up but his eyes didn't open. "You will regret saying that."

"Is it safe to be so sure? Let's just get on with the fight, alright? I'm not going to sit here and let my father and Urahara be killed."

"This only proves my theory even more. You _are_ losing hope. This fight is futile, and you know it."

"Gin!" someone panted. Rangiku jumped up to the building they were on, blood seeping through her clothes. It was obvious she had run away from being partially healed once she had the chance to. In no more than two seconds, her fist was flying across his cheek. A deafening crack rang through the air.

Rangiku's knuckles were dotted with his blood, staining the air with it's tainted aroma. Ichigo could only clutch Zangetsu in limp fingers as he watched in amazement.

"Bastard," she muttered, assessing the damage to her hand. "I'm glad you left me."

Gin's eyes opened but then turned to slits. The color of his eyes were a surprise to Ichigo. They were as liquid as beautiful tropic waterfalls and as vibrant as a rainbow.

"Matsu-"

"Shut your face! I don't want to hear it anymore! You're such an asshole. And why are you calling me 'Matsumoto'? It makes me sound old! Can't you at least explain yourself to me?" Something caused her voice to crack and get caught. She was close to crying.

"I have no reason to explain anything to _you._"

Ichigo used his _shunpo_ to appear in front of Rangiku, shielding her. "Don't you dare talk to someone like that again!"

Gin cocked his head to the side. "Well, well, Lieutenant Matsumoto. It looks like you have yet another fan. How much did you pay him for his first time, hmm? Did you enjoy it, Kurosaki?"

Finally, a part in Ichigo snapped. He flung out with a powerful _Getsuga Tensho _attack, but Gin had evaded it easily. He was thirty feet away from where he was originally.

"Seems like I struck a chord," he smiled in conceited voice.

Rangiku screamed in anger and unsheathed her sword in return. "_Growl_, _Haineko_!" A cloud of ash and dust roared towards Gin, spiraling in and out of focus. Ichigo was filled with rage and hatred - an unusual emotion for him.

Ichigo's Hollow mask materialized instantly. Another powerful black and red _Getsuga Tensho_ was fired off along with Rangiku's attack. All the silver-haired man did was hold a hand out to catch the energy, sending it off in another direction.

_He's stronger than Ulquiorra…_ Ichigo had thought to himself, terrified. _He had actually used both hands, even when I had put my mask on._

"You looked surprised."

"Why in the hell would you ever decide to become one of those?" growled Rangiku.

Gin's mask faded away, revealing his cold, hard smile again. "Because Aizen ordered me to. Simple as that."

"So if he told you to jump off of a bridge . . . ?" Ichigo asked, attempting to calm himself down by telling a joke he had once heard in the human world.

"If he ordered me to, then I would."

Ichigo laughed. "Let me see that mask again."

"Why should I ever listen to you?"

"Ichimaru Gin! Do you realize what you sound like right now? You sound like a jealous child!"

"_I'm_ the childish one? You never saw me getting piss-faced drunk and passing out in my own puke. I was the one who helped you. Not once did I ever fail you. And this is how you repay me? I had finally chosen a path, and now, you're trying to hold me back?"

Rangiku sighed. "Ichigo . . . Please, go. This man is mine to deal with. Help your fath-" Suddenly her hand collided with Ichigo's chest, flinging him off of the roof just as Gin charged.

His Zanpakuto was buried deep into her ribcage. She coughed up blood onto his white robes. "Use Haineko," he whispered into her ear. "Kill us both."

"N-no. I just . . . got you back. I'm not going to lose you again." Her eyes were dimming, losing their luminosity. Her breathing was broken, irregular pants.

"This is the end for us, Rangiku. If I survive, Aizen will kill me anyway just for letting you live. I love you, Rangiku. I always have. I hope you realize that."

"I'm . . . glad . . . you finally realized," she wheezed. In a huge whirlwind of sharp as broken glass dust, Rangiku and Gin were engulfed, his arms around her. It was only seconds later that Ichigo appeared back onto the roof, but there was nothing.

No trace of either of them. Not even Rangiku's Zanpakuto that had dropped from her hands as she died. Not even the pink scraps of her scarf. Not even Gin's tattered robes remained.

The only reminder was the blood staining the ground where they had once stood.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I got really bored and guess what? This little story sprang from my head onto the keys of my keyboard. Surprising, right? Should I continue the story? I dunno. Maybe with different POV's of the scene... or after Gin and Rangiku are reincarnated into the Living World?


End file.
